Old Blue

I have an old blue t-shirt that pretty much goes with me on any outdoor trip. It’s been that way for years. Honestly, it’s hard to even recall the details of when it was purchased. I know it was in the mid-nineties, making the shirt around twenty years old.

Perhaps twenty years would rank low on the impression scale if it were, say, a shirt I got from a concert and only wear now to read the Sunday paper. But this one sees only the harshest of treatment. It has been dunked in rivers, scraped over rocks, covered in mud, rode hard and literally put up wet. In had been used to dry camp dishes and dry my hair after impromptu creek showers. On more than one occasion, it has been stuffed into a pack pocket or trunk and forgotten about for weeks. I have never owned an article of clothing that I’ve treated worse, yet from every low point it continues to rise like the Phoenix. It just always seems to beg for more.

It was the first “technical” shirt I can remember purchasing and even recall thinking it didn’t feel all that comfortable the first time I put it on. Back then, the best backcountry brands weren’t occupying the front racks at your local sporting goods store like you see now. For those wondering, it is a North Face shirt. We found a hole-in-the-wall shop about 3 hours away that carried their gear. We had never seen the brand in person, only in the outdoor magazines we read. I went there to buy a tent, yet I left with a big more.  

I’ve always been a sucker for a good t-shirt. Still am. My latest favorites are my yellow North Lime donut shirt, my Dave Rawlings tee and an Indian Staircase shirt I got from J&H Lanmark.

But there’s something about the old blue classic. When I bought it, the front was adorned with crisp white lettering and an accompanying graphic. The lettering started tattering and picking loose maybe five years in. The graphic did the same and now there barely remains proof of anything ever occupying the front. Unless you look closely, it resembles a plain blue work shirt.

One would never know the things it’s been through. And it has far outlived its heyday. I couldn’t get a nickel for it but wouldn’t take a fifty-dollar bill.  

And aren’t those the best kind?

-JW

Here's to 2018!

I love new beginnings. Starting over. Starting anew. Refreshed.

That's the reason I've always loved the New Year. And mornings. I feel like anything is possible during those times.

Over the past few weeks, we have been putting together our goals for this coming year. Well, maybe some are goals while others are just guiding principles. Nevertheless, there's a complete list of them now. As I have mentioned before,  I tend to be a tad eager with my pursuits and just operate under the assumption that even if we're forced to cut some items, the lofty lineup will ensure an action-packed year.

Having a list is great (the wife loves her a list) but most the items can be summed up in a few over-simplified statements: I want to be a better person this year, I want to spend more time outside this year, I want to do more things I want to do and less things I don't want to do.

Basically.

And I just want to appreciate it all more.

The List

• take my son backpacking in the Grand Canyon

• climb another 14er in Colorado in June

• take my parents to the White Mountains in NH

• get my memoir, the one I finished last year, published

• go on my first bikepacking trip to Southern Utah in May/June

• write more thank-you notes

• find better balance with work and home

• get the family and dog out on the trail more

• teach the dog a new trick

• sleep out under the stars as often as possible

What's on your list?

-JW

Defining "Adventure"

How do you define adventure?

That thing everyone likes to talk and dream about.

That idea subtly painting the backdrop of every TV commercial.

We see it all the time. Adventure is just out there waiting for you, right? That’s the reason gear and brands once reserved for technical backcountry needs now hang on front racks of popular department stores. That’s the reason the minivan commercial ends with the family scrambling up the mountain. The boom that has brought so much attention to the outdoor industry has been great in many ways, but it also reasonably waters down much of the experience.

And I would argue, it domesticates our views on outdoor adventure.

It’s hard for me to keep in mind that just a mere 100 years ago, explorers were still out there trying to chart unknown places on the world map. That Everest was unclimbed. The Appalachian Trail was not even established. For years, I have been enamored with the explorers and adventurists that sought out these unknowns. Even when I was young, a child growing up wanting to be Indiana Jones, I dreamt of far off places and adventurous pursuits. Then as an adult, I started trying to figure out how to appease those desires.

So often this search brought me back to the question: how do you define adventure?

A couple of points…

There’s a big difference in outdoor recreation and outdoor adventure. A lot of the activities that have become so popular, and have aided in the outdoor industry boom, are recreation at their best. And the world is a better place because of it.

But that’s not adventure, a word precisely described as an “unusual or exciting event or activity, usually hazardous.”

Not every person is going to go buy a wing-suit or try a first ascent a wild rapid in the Borneo jungle, obviously. But in our culture, we have perfected the art of taking the risk out of the outdoors. We have the campers, the cable cars taking visitors to the top of the mountain, the guide that makes sure we are never in danger. Yes, these are the things that brought the recreation to the masses.

But adventure involves some risk. And a little unknown. I heard one prominent outdoor icon say that adventure only really starts once something goes wrong. You can be prepared and still be ready to go off-course. Some of the best outdoor experiences I have ever had involved getting lost, flipping the boat or enduring extreme weather.

Outdoor recreation has definitely helped me grow physically but it was the adventure that changed me. So much of the greatest parts of the wild lie just beyond the belt of comfort we are taught to stay within.

You want to see what adventure in the outdoor is like? Leave the trail. Go out in the weather. Do something new or something that scares you a little. Stay out an extra night.

Go higher.

Go farther.

It’s worth it.

-JW

Arch hunting...perfect for winter

Winter gets a bad rap when it comes to time in the outdoors. For a great number of folks, hiking, biking or camping come with a steadfast caveat: weather permitting. Fortunately I have never been one of those people. Cold temps, snow or rain…these are some of my favorite elements to be out in.

Obviously, most people are not like this and I understand. But I also know that winter lends itself to certain activities more than any other season. With a little research and planning, your cold-weather outings can be as enjoyable and comfortable as any.

My top winter selection is the wonderful act of arch hunting. Because of the proximity to the Red River Gorge, Kentuckians have an endless well to go to here. The Red is home to hundreds upon hundreds of arches, official and unofficial, and the word is there are new ones discovered all the time. And I’m not talking about the big arches that everyone knows, the ones that you only have to follow the prominent road signs to visit. Those are great and if you have never seen them, please do so. It’s worth it.

But those aren’t the arches that one goes hunting. And it really is “hunting” at times. The first time someone took me was nearly 20 years ago. When they described what we were going to do, I was more than a little suspect. Here were the steps he described:

-Search for arches in the Gorge (there are many sites with list/pictures)

-Choose one and get the coordinates

-Plot the coordinates on a map (or in a GPS)

-Go out and see if you can find it

That first time, he listed three that we were going to try and find. It seemed odd to me to think there was a chance we wouldn’t find them. I mean, we had the coordinates and pictures! How could we not find it? Of the three chosen, two were ones my friend had never been to before. So, we went to the one he knew first. Then we spent six hours trying to find the next one. We finally decided to head back, regroup and try again another day. I left tired, dirty, and with a full understanding of how the activity got its name. Mind you, these arches typically have no real trails going to them and often, they are very hidden away. It would seem like we were headed right for it (according to the map) before the way became impassable or a cliff caused us to have to reroute.

More importantly, I emerged from the woods that day with a greater appreciation of just how wild and beautiful the Red can be.

Two weeks later, we returned and found both of the arches. It felt tremendous and I was hooked.

Obviously, it is not always this difficult. There are arches that are pretty easy to find or whose routes are shorter. There are big ones, there are small ones. There is something for everyone. My family has been many, many times. My son went on his first arch hunt when he was five.

It will definitely add some excitement to your winter walks and hopefully, get you out in the cold season more often. I prefer arch hunting in the winter because the bugs, snakes and poison ivy are all gone. And the cold that people are most afraid of in the winter, it tends to be a non-factor. As long as you are dressed appropriately, you’ll have more trouble trying to keep from sweating than trying to keep warm.

The greatest payoff: seeing the beautiful, magical places hidden back in the depths of the Red, places very few people go and places regular trails just won’t take you. You can’t imagine the things we discovered over the years, most of which were discovered on a cold, crisp winter day.

-JW